Tribute to Carmencita Dauset Moreno

This tribute, organized as part of The Met’s Expert-Talks in Spanish program and held in front of the iconic portrait of Carmencita, acknowledges the artistic and historical significance of Carmen Dauset Moreno. The dancer from Almería arrived in New York in 1889 and soon became an essential figure in American vaudeville, achieving sustained success at Koster and Bial’s Concert Hall and attracting the attention of artists such as John S. Sargent and William Merritt Chase. Her national tours and her appearance in two kinetoscope films in 1894 —which made her the first woman ever filmed by the Edison studio— established her as one of the earliest ambassadors of Spanish dance in the United States. Dancer Olga Pericet pays tribute to this legacy through a performance and a conversation that connect contemporary flamenco practice with Carmencita’s pioneering influence. She is joined in this artistic and reflective exploration by Dr. K. Meyra Goldberg, a dancer, researcher, and educator specializing in flamenco and Spanish dance, whose interdisciplinary perspective brings historical, theoretical, and embodied dimensions to the dialogue on Carmencita’s enduring impact. The event brings the twenty-fifth edition of the Flamenco Festival to a close.